June 27, 2024
To Crawford Bay, BC
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One of my bucket list rides is to ride from home in Colorado to Alaska. For years I had Tok, AK on the weather app of my phone. Not that I think Tok is anything special, other than being the entry point in Alaska from the Yukon.
We've had four years of near perfect (moisture free) touring. That is four years to get used to the good life. I told Jacinto this morning that I'm taking Alaska off of the list. That trip is known for rain. We had the rain/snow day going into Babb, MT. Today it is after noon, and we are still sitting in our apartment, watching the weather radar for the rain to move off. I've also told him that the Green Coast of Spain is off of my list. He just laughed at that. I suspect it might come up again. A big piece for me is being both cold and wet. One of those is almost tolerable. Both is no fun. Maybe I've spent too much time in warm Tucson. I think of the years I spent bicycle commuting year round in Colorado (think studded snow tires). Yea, those were the days. They are not happening again!
We are at a little motel out in the middle of nowhere, halfway between Creston and Crawford Bay. The owners live in one unit, and there are three more for rent. I told Jacinto it was a little spooky last night, being the only ones here. He said it was much better than all of the noise of the tree people. When the landlords came home, it was almost 10 PM, and I was brushing my teeth. The man knocked on the door and asked to come in. I found that a little odd, but maybe he wanted to see how we were treating their place? Perhaps the chit chat paid off this morning, when it was pouring outside and I wrote a message on airbnb asking if we could have a late check out. He was right back over to cover the options - saying we could stay a few hours, no one is booked for tonight. Or, we could stay a night, or they would even give us a ride in their truck. It's nice to have options.
The weather radar shows that the big clouds have mostly passed over. We are hoping to leave soon. The rain is different here than Colorado. At home, there is seldom heavy rain that last more than 10-15 minutes. Mostly we get a gentle, long sprinkle. Here, when it rains, it pours! I'm so glad we didn't take off at 9 AM when there was a window. Not a half hour later, rain was bouncing in the parking lot.
So - that's the morning update. We are still sitting here. Jacinto has CNN on, it's all talk about the upcoming presidential debates. I told him I would watch the highlights, but I'm not really interested in watching the whole thing. Let's see what our place is like tonight. The neighboring restaurant closes at 3 PM. We aren't going to make that time.
OK - I'm blathering. I need to get moving forward.
Later - I left in sunshine at a leisurely 1 PM. The wise cyclist waits for the storm to pass over. It helped that we rearranged our schedule to create a short day during this stormy day.
Either my legs were fresher today, or the climbs over the drainages were easier. I did see a back packing type cyclist stopped at a general store on the way. I was on a zippy downhill, and had time only to ding my bell hello before passing by. Of course, I regretted not stopping later.
The views were more open today. I could see patches of blue. They didn't grow, but disappeared as I rode on. Yes, a short riding day is a good idea.
Jacinto had mentioned a bakery next to our chalets. I saw a sign advertising their cinnamon rolls a few miles from town. That sounds like a nice treat. If I pedal steadily, I should arrive just in time. At 2:50, I pulled up to see a closed sign. What the heck? I continued on to our lodging. Jacinto came in right behind me. I had to express my grievance about the bakery. He laughed at me and said it is 3:50, not 2:50 - we are back in mountain time! They had a sign at the office saying it's mountain time here.
We finished checking in and pulled over to our room (we went for the less expensive room instead of the chalet. Plus, the chalet required a multi night stay). It started to rain steadily just as we were entering our room. I can't believe we stayed dry today. My rain coat was at the ready, but never came out.
We both showered, and then walked down and around the corner to the closest cafe to eat. The New Key Cafe was fine. We shared a salad and both had the special - jalapeño burgers. Maybe next time I would try the pizza food truck across the street. Their seating was outside, and that seemed like tempting fate today. At the grocery we stocked up with Canadian brand Kraft peanut butter and bagels. Milk, yogurt, and ice cream for later. We took turns carrying the heavy bag on our return trip. Jacinto was dismayed at the thought of having to carry all of that weight over the mountain to the ferry. We have a two mile, 550 foot climb between us and the 35 minute free ferry to Balfour tomorrow. Then we ride back down the Kootenay Lake on the opposite side.
We are enjoying our room. The past two night's lodging were fine, but not highly recommended.
The report on Jacinto's toe is that it feels better, and pedaling standing doesn't hurt. It's interesting that now the two neighbor toes to the pinky toe have turned blue. Yesterday they were fine.
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2 months ago
For those curious - the name brand newtons seem a little rubbery to me. The crust is too firm.
2 months ago
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2 months ago
How is Jacinto’s foot doing?
2 months ago
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